A sugarcane harvester has a feed section for feeding a severed mat of sugarcane from a basecutter to a chopping section where the sugarcane stalk is cut into segments. The feed section has a plurality of feed rollers. Each (or a number) of the feed rollers is driven by a respective motor. A coupling interconnects the feed roller and the motor via a splined joint of the coupling. The coupling operates in severe operating conditions, involving, for example, crop material, dirt, and water (and resulting rust), which cause accelerated wear of the coupling. The coupling is typically replaced in 1000 hours of operation.